The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation is set to establish a gaming hub in Bangsar South. Joining MDEC in this effort will be UOA Holdings, who will be providing the infrastructure for the hub and will also be cooperating in promotional work.
The memorandum between MDEC and UOA Holdings was signed last week as both entities pledged to work together to promote game development here in Malaysia. MDEC has been pushing to establish Malaysia as a player in the gaming industry, which is set to grow to RM868 million by 2017.
Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, MDEC, applauded the collaboration: “Malaysia has an exceptional talent pool for the game industry, and the world is beginning to sit up and take notice. It is important that we continue to press forward in building a world-class ecosystem that enables our local talents to strive for excellence, putting us on the path to becoming the Game Hub for the region. The programs and initiatives that we have – together with excellent infrastructure and facilities provided by UOA Holdings – will allow our local talents to come together to learn and grow their skills in a conducive, competitive environment.”
Part of its success comes in the form of foreign companies like Streamline Studios and Bandai Namco setting up shop in the country. Streamline Studios was responsible for parts of Final Fantaxy XV, while local studio Passion Republic worked on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Bandai Namco is currently using Malaysia as an outsource control office for contracted work.
MDEC has also been trying to expand the local gaming industry by bringing in experts through its Level Up programme. The recently concluded Level Up KL conference saw 500 individuals from various backgrounds congregate and talk about making video games for five days.
